If you had never competed at all before and wanted to....

Blizzard

Blizzard

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...what you you recommend as a good introduction to the competitive world of horses!

Horses are 17.2hh MW , all rounder, been there and done it.

And 16.2hh WB, evented, done med level dressage,

However, riders will be total virgins to the showing/competing world, and your average rider, no dressage diva or anything, any suggestions of classes to ease them into it?

(without scaring them off for life!)

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Best turned out is always a good starting class, you don't have to ride an individual show, or do anything other than look pretty..usually the first class of the day so you can chill out and bounce round the clear round afterwards. It will ease you into the concept of taking the horses to shows and give you some kind of idea if they are likely to get on well with it..you can then progress to riding horse classes or working hunter (or local showjumping if that rocks your boat), see what you are best at and specialise from there.
Remember whatever you do, it is supposed to be fun so many people get wrapped up in being competetive and forget that.
 
As you have an eventer do some small hunter trials, if you get unbalanced you have a whole field to get sorted before you meet another jump. Otherwise I would try some clear round.
 
Thank you for all the great suggestions!

Oh is a novice but is learning and is hoping by spring to do a few shows, before we sold our welsh D he wanted to do in hand with her, but now he finally has a horse he can ride and not look huge on he wants to make the most of it!

Ive already said we will do some sponsored rides togerther, and anything we would do would be for fun, enough stress without my hobby making more!


I know hunter trials are my cup of tea, Oh is more make the horse look pretty!
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I had this problem a couple of years ago - it was well over 25 years since I'd last competed and things have changed a lot.

So I took my "sensible mother's hack" into the Novice jumping at a local small show - I mean really small and not too many entries - and we won it, so we entered the Intermediate, and won that too - much to the horror of a relatively well-known local showjumper who was out for a warm up, so I decided that we'd be really brave and we entered the Open - won that as well, beating the relatively well-known man again. So we entered the High Jump - and only came joint first in that! I haven't dared to take the horse back to the same venue.

For a sensible mother's hack who didn't "do" showjumping he's been great - don't think he's ever been unplaced with me. I hope whatever you decide to turn your hand (and hoof) to you have as much fun and success as we did.
 
i am the same just getting started - Im trying for WH this year and have done a hunter trial (it was the best fun ever) and will do some clear round too!
 
You should go to a local unaff show and you will realise what the standard is like and how there are a lot of people doing either dressage and jumping who are also really novice/out of practice/haven't competed in a while but enjoying themselves.

Go and enter something... NOW!!
 
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